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Wednesday, 21 October 2015

I'm back after a short trip and jumped straight into work without having any time to brood over the holiday getting over. Deadlines, macaron orders, supper clubs and pop-ups fill my time for the next couple of weeks and then the much awaited trip to India end of December. While I was away Haagen Dazs sent me a gorgeous parcel (the husband kept sending me pictures of the package) and I couldn't wait to get back and check it out. In my gift pack was a Nespresso Inissia, a personalised silver plated spoon, a really nice OXO ice cream scoop, an egg timer and of course vouchers and the new Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream.

We don't do ice creams that often but when we do its always Haagen Dazs. I'm sure its a brand we are all familiar with and we all have that one flavour we are addicted to. Mine was the dulce de leche and it was a struggle getting over it. I had attended the launch of the Haagen Dazs Master Ice Cream Academy a couple of months ago and learnt a thing or two about how sounds and sights affect taste and of course got to taste a fabulous strawberry ice cream. Dan Doherty from Duck & Waffle made us an interesting ice cream float, one that I've been meaning to try at home, but before the blink of an eye summer whisked by without any warning.

That said, there is no rule you can have ice cream only in summer. Which brings me to these 2 desserts i whipped up with the new coffee flavour, so intensely coffee and perfect for an addict like me. I broke my head trying to decide what to make and I wanted to do something different than the usual pairing of the coffee ice cream with a cake or brownie. Cookie dough slices sandwiched with coffee ice cream and an affogato were the two easy to do options i came up with.

Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream Affogato (makes 1)

The Affogato happened quite by fluke and i ended up enjoying that much more than the slices. I could also put the Nespresso machine to good use, making a kick ass espresso for the affpgato and I'm hooked. You can whip it up in no time and tastes absolutely delicious. I added a dash of Amaretto for some good measure. No regrets.

Strong espresso coffee- 1 espresso cup

Amaretto (or any liqueur of choice)- 1 tbsp

Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream- 2 scoops

Praline- 2 tsp (recipe below)

Use your favourite coffee beans to make a strong shot of espresso.

Scoop the ice cream into the serving glasses and pour over the Amaretto.

Top with the steaming hot espresso by pouring it gently over the ice cream.

Cookie dough slices were a unique choice, and I could imagine what a strong coffee flavour would do to a vanilla-y cookie dough. I decided to keep the filling and the dough thin so we could just hold it in our hands and eat as opposed to having it as a formal dessert with a plate and such.

Unsalted butter- 1/2 cup

Dark brown sugar- 1/3 cup

Granulated sugar- 1/4 cup

Milk- 2 tbsp

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Salt- 1.2 tsp

Plain flour- 1 1/4 cup

Chocolate chips- a generous handful

Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream- 1/2 a tub, spreadable consistency

Melt the butter and both sugars in a saucepan, stir till the sugar has completely melted.

Take it off the heat and pour in the milk, vanilla and salt.

Stir in the plain flour till well combined and you get a smooth mix without traces of flour.

Keep aside to cool and then fold in the chocolate chips. Its ok if it starts to melt, but stop before it completely does so.

Have a tray ready with 3 sheets of baking paper.

Place one sheet on the tray and spread out or roll half of the dough on to the sheet, around 1/2 inch thick (or thicker or thinner if you prefer it that way)

Top with another baking paper and roll out the second half of the cookie dough into the same thickness as before.

Press the third sheet on top of the rolled out dough and freeze for about half an hour.

Remove the top cookie dough layer and spread the coffee ice cream as evenly as possible.

Top with the second cookie dough layer, gently press down, cover with baking paper and refreeze till ready to use.

Let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to make slicing easier.

Slice into squares and eat immediately.

This is a sponsored post for Haagen Dazs in association with Great British Chefs. Thanks for the gift pack that was sent to put together the recipes.